Key Attributes That Make the Use of Timber Wall Frames in the Building Construction Industry Sustainable
Posted on: 4 April 2017
The use of timber wall frames to construct buildings has become commonplace in the Australian construction industry today. One major reason for this trend is that these building construction products are regarded as a sustainable choice of building material. Given the growing pressure on building owners and builders to use environmentally friendly building materials, building with timber wall frames helps achieve this goal in so many different ways that other materials cannot.
If you are considering building your new home using timber wall frames, continue reading on to find out some of the environmental benefits associated with the use of these prefabricated building parts.
Timber is a renewable resource
One of the major factors that encourages the use of timber frames for building in the construction industry is the ability to replenish timber supply. The timber that is used to manufacture timber wall frames is sourced from managed forests – sustainable forests where one or more trees are planted to replace each tree felled.
Apart from replenishing the timber supply, the very act of growing more trees is good for the environment. New trees help absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, and they lock away the CO2 emissions when they are used for building construction purposes.
Off-site manufacture reduces material waste
Timber wall frames are manufactured at an off-site location and shipped to the construction site ready for installation. The manufacturing takes place in factory-based settings, where the final parts are made as per the exact specifications of a project. Hence, there is no need for site cuts that may only lead to waste of precious timber.
Timber is salvageable
If you were to make a list of timber construction products that can be salvaged and reused, timber wall frames would be one of them. The timber that may be recovered during demolition projects can be recut and used for other purposes, such as DIY furniture-making, provided it has not been overly damaged by warping, rot or insect attacks. This helps reduce fresh demand for new timber and thus reduces the rate at which trees are cut down.
Timber wall frames provide good insulation
Because a building constructed with timber wall frames is usually so well insulated with insulation panels, like cellulose insulation, for example, less energy is required to cool or heat it up. This leads to long-term energy savings for the building owners, which in turn, results in reduced cost of energy.
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